New Jersey Civil Statute of Limitations Laws

States have time limits for would-be plaintiffs seeking to file a civil lawsuit, which are called "statutes of limitations." These time limits help preserve the integrity of evidence, whether it's physical evidence or witness testimony, while preventing the indefinite threat of lawsuits. In New Jersey, the statute of limitations for personal injuries is two years, while injury to personal property has a six-year statute of limitations.

Sometimes it's not possible until much later to know that an injury has occurred or to discover what caused an injury. In such cases -- for instance, when environmental pollution has caused terminal illness decades after exposure -- the "discovery rule" allows suits to be filed within a certain amount of time after the injury (or its cause) has been discovered.

Also, the civil statute of limitation may be paused ("tolled") if the plaintiff was a minor or mentally incompetent at the time of the injury. Parties may agree by contract to shorten the statute of limitations, which may occur with a simple "click" of an online user agreement.

As you can see, there are a number of factors that may determine the statute of limitations for a given civil action. It can get confusing, so it's usually a good idea to work with an attorney when filing a lawsuit. Most injury lawyers will work on a contingency basis, which means you won't have to pay until you collect for your injuries.